Episode 02
After confirming that the child had fallen asleep, I quietly exited Leroy’s room. I lifted the hem of my dress to muffle any sound, carefully closing the door behind me so as not to disturb him. The maids stationed outside his chambers began to bow their heads to me, but I gestured for them to stop.
“Your Majesty, the Empr—”
“Shh. He just fell asleep. Keep your voices down.”
I whispered softly, prompting the maids to quickly cover their mouths and bow more deeply. However, their exchanged glances suggested that their unease stemmed from more than just etiquette. They seemed confused, nervous, and their eyes kept darting toward the bend in the corridor.
“Is it Kian?”
I asked in a hushed tone, and they looked even more alarmed, silently lowering their gazes.
“…It must be Paris, then.”
They shut their eyes tightly, confirming the unspoken truth. I sighed and spoke again.
“If Leroy wakes and asks for me, notify me immediately. I won’t be far.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
I walked past them toward the man who no doubt awaited me beyond the corner. As night deepens in the Imperial Palace, ornate candelabras cast their glow through the hallways.
Even without asking, I could already guess what expression would be on the man waiting for me in the unlit shadows—one of smug amusement, no doubt.
“What are you doing here? You, of all people.”
My voice came out sharp and cold as I frowned at him.
“Do you have any idea how much your presence wounds the child? I told you not to come near.”
He was probably smiling now. Whether I lashed out in anger or threw insults and blame, he would still wear that same insolent grin. And, as always, he’d retort with mockery—just like this:
“Strange words, coming from you, Lidis. Pretending to care about a child’s fragile heart, when you’re the one who’s hurt him the most.”
“Shut your mouth.”
“You’ve grown coarse. Almost… human.”
Paris stepped out from the shadows slowly as he spoke.
“See? You do remember me.”
His transparent amber eyes, his tousled crimson hair—undeniably the blood of Tilliad, stubborn and unrelenting. A face impossible to forget, no matter how much I wished to.
“…I’ve seen your face enough to be sick of it. How could I forget?”
“Still, saying you’re sick of your ex-husband is harsh, don’t you think? I came all this way for you, Lidis.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Why not? Lidis.”
He said the name again, tauntingly, stepping closer. I instinctively stepped back twice for every one of his strides, keeping a safe distance between us.
“Don’t come any closer. There are eyes everywhere. You know that better than anyone.”
“I’m here to be seen. There’s no one in the Empire who doesn’t know what’s between us. Even that little boy knows, doesn’t he? Judging by your face, I must be right.”
“Paris!”
I nearly shouted his name, but quickly bit my tongue and lowered my voice, afraid it would wake Leroy. I hissed at him instead.
“I told you—don’t you dare lay a hand on Leroy.”
“I have no such intentions. I could embrace that child too, if it meant being with you. We never had a child, after all. But I think I could make a fine father.”
“Even if I leave the palace, I’d never choose to be with you. Wake up.”
“No, Lidis, you’re the one who needs to wake up.”
“…”
“You’re not going to stay with Kian, are you? The nobles already know about us. Do you really think you can hide it? Ours isn’t a bond that can be concealed.”
“You’re right—it’s not. But I wouldn’t call it a bond. It’s a cursed entanglement. A wretched, relentless misfortune… You’re shameless, Paris.”
“Call me what you like. My love for you is sincere. If hating me helps you cope, then I’ll accept it.”
“You think I don’t see through your lies? …You should’ve stayed dead.”
“Oh? Are you upset because all your memories returned after I came back? Then maybe you should resent Kian more.”
“I’m sick of both you and Kian. Humans—always selfish, always grasping.”
Thinking about what Paris and Kian have done to me fills me with loathing. I despise them. Humans—they only know how to take. They don’t know what it means to sacrifice. At my bitter words, Paris let out a derisive laugh.
“And what about you? As a dragon, are you supposed to be noble or something?”
“No.”
No—I am not noble.
A hollow laugh escaped me.
“I’m just foolish. Pathetic. I’m not even worthy of being called a dragon. I’m… the worst. And you—both of you—are selfish.”
My voice trembled with every word. I was the stupid dragon who betrayed her own kind because she was deceived by a human. And they were the selfish humans who used me.
“There’s no ‘bond’ between us. I was just a tool for you—chained by weakness, nothing more.”
“Lidis… That’s a bit dramatic, don’t you think?”
“Dramatic? For someone supposedly hurt, you sure are smiling a lot. And I told you—don’t call me that.”
“Then what should I call you?”
At that moment, another voice answered from behind.
“Lobelia.”
I turned around to see Kian approaching slowly from who-knows-when.
“Call her Lobelia.”
He draped a robe over my shoulders as he reached me.
“The nights are getting colder now that it’s early autumn, Lobelia.”
“….”
He spoke with an unwelcome gentleness. Standing between my former and current husbands, I felt nothing—no guilt, no tension—only overwhelming exhaustion.
Sigh…
While I could only sigh, the two of them seemed to be engaged in some unspoken standoff, each wearing faint smiles that barely masked their madness.
‘Loathsome humans.’
They were truly loathsome. Eventually, it was Kian who broke the silence.
“How fitting—so disrespectful to the Empress. Typical behavior from a desert-born criminal.”
“And yet, thanks to you, that same criminal became a hero of the Empire. I should be thanking you, Your Majesty.”
“No need. You’ll be sent back there soon enough.”
Their pathetic exchange was too childish to merit my involvement. I turned to return to Leroy’s room.
“…What are you doing?”
That is, until both my ex-husband and current husband reached out and grabbed my hands.
“Lidis.”
“Lobelia.”
“…”
“I’m not done speaking with you.”
“As her husband, I have the right to speak first.”
“Ah, well said, Your Majesty. But before she was your Empress, she was the Queen of Tilliad.”
“And Tilliad has been a fallen kingdom for years now. The past is just that—the past.”
I yanked my hands away from them both and stared at them, sick to death of their shamelessness.
“I am neither Lidis nor Lobelia. So don’t call me by your pitiful human names. Isn’t it ridiculous? Me, wasting time with word games with the likes of you? I despise you both. You’re vile. I don’t want to see either of your faces again!”
At last, I shouted.
Humans never change. I shook my head and looked toward the corridor leading back to Leroy’s room—only to lock eyes with a group of stunned maids. Lowering my gaze, I spotted Leroy standing there as well.
“Th-That is…!”
The maids tried to explain how he had gotten there, but I could already piece it together from the hands gripping his shoulders.
I’ve truly shown him the worst. The absolute worst.
I shut my eyes in self-reproach and hurried toward him. But before I could reach him, Leroy ran forward and pushed both Kian and Paris away with all his might.
“Don’t touch my mother! Father’s bad, and the other man’s bad too! The only one who truly loves Mommy is me! You’re both terrible! I hate you!”
He then grabbed my hand and dragged me back toward his room. Dazed, I followed him in, wondering how I could possibly explain this disaster in a way that wouldn’t shatter his little heart.
“Mom… Humans really are bad, right?”
“…Leroy…?”
“Dragons are too good for humans!”
“…Where did you even hear something like that?”
“That’s why… I asked Prima to come get me.”
“….”
“Bad Dad and that man—they should regret it.”
“Leroy.”
“Don’t worry! I won’t cry over something like this!”
Though his big eyes brimmed with tears, he stubbornly insisted otherwise. Who did he learn to lie like that from? I could only imagine how long he had wrestled with these thoughts, how many times he had swallowed his sobs.
“Prima said… I can go too. So when I’m older… I’ll come find you, Mommy. Don’t forget me, okay?”
He held out his tiny pinky. I slowly nodded and linked mine with his. Leroy sniffled, then smiled brightly.
“Then Mommy, let’s have fun until we say goodbye!”
“It’s not goodbye, Leroy… Just a little time apart.”
“Oh, right. That’s true.”
“…Want to sleep together tonight?”
“Of course!”
Leroy nestled into my arms, and I held him tightly. But still… is this really the right thing to do? Am I really supposed to leave this place?
Can I survive out there?
